Reading the writings of Mahatma Gandhiji—whether from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG), Satyagraha in South Africa, or many of his other works—continues to be a source of both joy and learning for me. I am struck not only by the depth of his insights but also by the clarity and power of his storytelling. His ability to recall incidents, interweave them with a central theme, and move between decades with ease makes him, in my view, one of the finest writers I have read.
While Gandhi, like every human being, had his share of shortcomings, what sets him apart is not their absence but his ability to rise above them. He remains admirable not because he was flawless, but because he remained faithful to his principles in spite of his flaws.
I am well aware that few may read the excerpts I share from his writings, or the personal reflections I add to them. But that has never been my aim. Just as I enjoy reading Gandhiji’s works, I enjoy reflecting on them and sharing what I learn. That joy is reason enough.
Here is one such incident that, to me, captures the true spirit of Satyagraha. Two young Satyagrahis, released on personal recognizance, were rushing to catch the last train so they could appear in court the next day. They ran with great urgency, not wanting to miss their opportunity to voluntarily face imprisonment. Thanks to the goodwill cultivated by the Satyagrahis, the station master stopped the moving train just in time to let them board.
Gandhiji draws two powerful lessons from this seemingly simple episode. First, the eagerness of the Satyagrahis to embrace prison as a part of their commitment to truth and justice. Second, the genuine goodwill they cultivated even among government officials—often former adversaries—through their conduct marked by humility, self-restraint, and a refusal to resort to bribes or coercion.
Reading this, I cannot help but compare it with the activism of our time. Many of today’s self-proclaimed activists and reformers claim Gandhiji’s legacy, but often lack the inner discipline, moral clarity, and spiritual strength that defined Satyagraha. For Gandhiji and his followers, activism was not a performance—it was a personal commitment to truth, upheld even at great cost.
This is what continues to move me deeply in Gandhiji’s writings: the quiet power of a life lived with integrity. In remembering and reflecting on such stories, I remind myself of what it truly means to stand for something—not in words alone, but in spirit and action.
Ashram, July 30, 2025
This is the original excerpts from Satyagraha in South Africa:
Needless to say, there was on the Farm an ebb and flow of Satyagrahis, some of whom would be expecting to go to prison while others had been released from it. Once it so happened that there arrived at the Farm two Satyagrahis who had been released by the Magistrate on personal recognizance and who had to attend the court the next day to receive the sentence. They were engrossed in talk, while time was up for the last train they must catch, and it was a question whether they would succeed in taking that train. They were both young men and good athletes. They ran for all that they were worth along with some of us who wanted to see them off. While still on the way, I heard the whistle of the train as it steamed into the station. When there was a second whistle indicating its departure, we had reached the precincts of the station. The young men increased their speed every moment, and I lagged behind them. The train started. Fortunately, the station master saw them running up and stopped the moving train, thus enabling them to take it after all. I tendered my thanks to the station master when I reached the station. Two points emerge out of this incident; first, the eagerness of the Satyagrahis in seeking jail and in fulfilling their promises, and secondly, the sweet relations cultivated by the Satyagrahis with the local officers. If the young men had missed that train, they could not have attended the court the next day. No surety had been required of them, nor had they been asked to deposit any money with the court. They had been released only on the word of gentlemen. The Satyagrahis had acquired such prestige that magistrates did not think necessary to ask them for bail as they were courting jail. The young Satyagrahis therefore were deeply pained at the prospect of missing the train, and ran as swiftly as the wind. At the commencement of the struggle Satyagrahis were somewhat harassed by officials, and the jail authorities in some places were unduly severe. But as the movement advanced we found that the bitterness of (p. 236) the officials was softened and in some cases even changed to sweetness. And where there was long continued intercourse with them, they even began to assist us like the station master I have referred to. The reader must not imagine that Satyagrahis bribed these officials in any shape or form in order to secure amenities from them. The Satyagrahis never thought of purchasing such irregular facilities. But where facilities were offered through courtesy, they were freely accepted, and the Satyagrahis had been enjoying such facilities in many places. If a station master is ill-disposed, he can harass passengers in a variety of ways, keeping himself all the while within the four corners of the rules and regulations. No complaint can be preferred against such harassment. On the other hand of if the official is well disposed, he can grant many facilities without violating the rules. All such facilities we had been able to secure from the station master, Lawley, and that because of the courtesy, the patience and the capacity for self-suffering of the Satyagrahis….— M. K. Gandhi , Satyagraha in South Africa, THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, VOLUME TWO, TRANSLATED FROM THE GUJARATI BY VALJI GOVINDJI DESAI. From
www.mkgandhi.org pp. 236-37
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